The Semicolon Tattoo Trend Empowers People with Mental Health Disorders

We've witnessed various tattoo trends-be it getting inked in your boyfriend's name or a religious prayer. But here's a tattoo that is more than meets the eye. The semicolon tattoo stands for a social cause and is being welcomed world over.

Started by Project Semicolon, a non- profit mental health organization, it encourages people who have experienced any kind of mental disorder to acknowledge it, with this tattoo and overcome it by being strong.

People with depression, anxiety, addiction and suicidal tendencies are all encouraged to get a ‘semicolon' tatto on their wrists or any other part of their body. This trend, which is now becoming a global phenomenon, was started by Amy Bleuel, in 2013 after she suffered a personal struggle with depression and the loss of her father to suicide. She got a semicolon tattoo in his memory and turn the semicolon into a sign of hope for those who were struggling with mental health problems.

The NGO is a Christian organization, which describes itself as a faith-based non-profit movement, dedicated to presenting hope and love to those who struggle with mental health problems such as suicide, depression, addiction and self injury.

According to the organization, "A semicolon is used when an author could've chosen to end their sentence, but chose not to. The author is you and the sentence is your life".

This physical representation of personal strength has now gained popularity on social media. Here are some posts of people with semicolon tattoos.